modbender Membase Memory Management
Membase provides secure, decentralized memory storage for AI agents with end-to-end encryption.
When to Use This Skill
Activate this skill when the user:
- Asks to backup their memories, conversations, or workspace
- Wants to restore previous memories or conversations
- Wants to see available backups
- Asks to compare different backup versions
- Wants to check backup status
- Mentions "membase" or "backup memories"
Overview
All Membase operations go through a single command:
node membase.ts <command> [options]
Available commands:
backup- Backup memories to Membaserestore- Restore memories from a backuplist- List all available backupsdiff- Compare two backupsstatus- Show backup status and statisticscleanup- Clean up old backups
Configuration
Environment Variables
export MEMBASE_ACCOUNT=your-account-address
export MEMBASE_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
export MEMBASE_BACKUP_PASSWORD=your-backup-password
export MEMBASE_ENDPOINT=https://testnet.hub.membase.io
Check if configured:
echo $MEMBASE_ACCOUNT
echo $MEMBASE_SECRET_KEY
echo $MEMBASE_BACKUP_PASSWORD
Commands
1. backup - Backup Memories
Backs up agent memory files (MEMORY.md, memory/**/*.md) to Membase with AES-256-GCM encryption.
Usage:
node membase.ts backup [options]
Options:
--password <pwd>or-p <pwd>- Encryption password (required if not in env)--incrementalor-i- Only backup changed files since last backup--workspace <path>- Custom workspace directory--no-validate- Skip password strength validation--no-json- Don't output JSON for agent parsing
Example conversation:
User: "Please backup my memories"
You should:
Check for MEMBASE_BACKUP_PASSWORD:
echo $MEMBASE_BACKUP_PASSWORDIf not set, ask: "Please provide a backup password for encryption (at least 12 characters with uppercase, lowercase, and numbers):"
Run backup:
cd skills/membase node membase.ts backup --password "<password>"Show result to user:
[OK] Backup completed Backup ID: backup-2026-02-02T10-30-45-123Z Files: 15 Size: 234 KB [WARNING] Save your backup ID and password securely!
Incremental backup (faster):
node membase.ts backup --password "<password>" --incremental
2. restore - Restore Memories
Restores memories from a Membase backup.
Usage:
node membase.ts restore <backup-id> [options]
Options:
<backup-id>- The backup ID to restore (required)--password <pwd>or-p <pwd>- Decryption password (required if not in env)--no-json- Don't output JSON for agent parsing
Example conversation:
User: "Restore my memories from backup-2026-02-02T10-30-45-123Z"
You should:
Check for password:
echo $MEMBASE_BACKUP_PASSWORDRun restore:
cd skills/membase node membase.ts restore backup-2026-02-02T10-30-45-123Z --password "<password>"Show result:
[OK] Restore completed Files restored: 15 Total size: 234 KB Location: ~/.openclaw/workspace/
3. list - List Backups
Lists all available backups for this agent.
Usage:
node membase.ts list [options]
Options:
--no-json- Don't output JSON for agent parsing
Example conversation:
User: "Show me my backups" or "List my backups"
You should:
cd skills/membase
node membase.ts list
Output will show:
Available backups:
ID Timestamp Files Size
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
backup-2026-02-02T10-30-45-123Z 2026-02-02 10:30:45 15 234 KB
backup-2026-02-01T15-20-10-456Z 2026-02-01 15:20:10 12 198 KB
4. diff - Compare Backups
Compares two backups to see what changed.
Usage:
node membase.ts diff <backup-id-1> <backup-id-2> [options]
Options:
<backup-id-1>- First backup ID (required)<backup-id-2>- Second backup ID (required)--password <pwd>or-p <pwd>- Decryption password (required if not in env)--no-json- Don't output JSON for agent parsing
Example conversation:
User: "What changed between my last two backups?"
You should:
Get the two most recent backup IDs:
cd skills/membase node membase.ts listRun diff with the two IDs:
node membase.ts diff backup-2026-02-02T10-30-45-123Z backup-2026-02-01T15-20-10-456Z --password "<password>"Show result:
Added files (2): + memory/conversation-new.md + memory/notes.md Modified files (1): ~ MEMORY.md
5. status - Show Status
Shows backup status and statistics.
Usage:
node membase.ts status [options]
Options:
--no-json- Don't output JSON for agent parsing
Example conversation:
User: "What's my backup status?" or "Check backup status"
You should:
cd skills/membase
node membase.ts status
Output shows:
[STATS] Backup Status
Local:
Files: 15
Size: 234 KB
Remote:
Backups: 10
Configuration:
Endpoint: https://testnet.hub.membase.io
Agent: my-agent
Workspace: ~/.openclaw/workspace
6. cleanup - Clean Up Old Backups
Lists old backups that could be deleted (Membase doesn't support delete API yet).
Usage:
node membase.ts cleanup [options]
Options:
--keep-last <n>- Keep last N backups (default: 10)--dry-run- Show what would be deleted without deleting--no-json- Don't output JSON for agent parsing
Example conversation:
User: "Clean up old backups, keep the last 5"
You should:
cd skills/membase
node membase.ts cleanup --keep-last 5
Note: Will show which backups should be deleted, but user needs to delete manually via Membase Hub UI.
Security Notes
- All data is encrypted client-side with AES-256-GCM
- Password is derived using PBKDF2 with 100,000 iterations
- Your password never leaves the local machine
- Membase storage is decentralized and zero-knowledge
- Only you can decrypt your backups
Password Requirements
- At least 12 characters
- Must contain uppercase letters
- Must contain lowercase letters
- Must contain numbers
- Recommended: Use a password manager
Error Handling
Missing credentials
If you see "Membase credentials not configured":
# User needs to set environment variables:
export MEMBASE_ACCOUNT=your-account
export MEMBASE_SECRET_KEY=your-key
Missing password
If you see "Backup password is required":
- Ask user for password
- Or suggest setting MEMBASE_BACKUP_PASSWORD env var
Invalid password
If you see "Invalid password" or "Decryption failed":
- User provided wrong password
- Ask for correct password
No backups found
If list shows "No backups found":
- No backups exist yet
- Suggest creating first backup
Network error
If connection fails:
- Check internet connection
- Verify MEMBASE_ENDPOINT is correct
- Try again later
Tips for Agents
- Always check for password first before asking user
- Show the backup ID clearly so user can save it
- Parse JSON output if available (between ---JSON_OUTPUT--- and ---END_JSON---)
- Be clear about security - emphasize that password is required for restore
- Suggest incremental backups for speed after first backup
- Remember backup IDs from list command to help user with restore/diff
Examples
Complete backup workflow
# 1. Check status
node membase.ts status
# 2. First backup (full)
node membase.ts backup --password "MySecure123Pass"
# 3. Later: incremental backup
node membase.ts backup --password "MySecure123Pass" --incremental
# 4. List all backups
node membase.ts list
# 5. Compare recent backups
node membase.ts diff backup-id-1 backup-id-2 --password "MySecure123Pass"
# 6. Restore if needed
node membase.ts restore backup-id-1 --password "MySecure123Pass"
Troubleshooting
Command not found
Make sure you're in the skills/membase directory:
cd skills/membase
pwd # Should show .../skills/membase
Module not found
The lib folder needs to be linked to compiled source:
cd skills/membase
ln -sf ../../dist/lib lib
Permission denied
Make membase.ts executable:
chmod +x membase.ts